As The World Falls Down
by snapesophelia
Summary: After returning home, Sarah beings to spiral into a pit of depression. Will Jareth be able to save her in time?


As the World Falls Down   
  
Rated PG  
  
By CrystalAngel  
  
6/18/00  
  
Send all comments to SlayerAngel@aol.com  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth, or any of the characters in here, except for Brandon. Thanks!  
  
  
  
  
Chapter One  
  
"So you'll go to the prom with me?" Brandon asked.  
  
"Well, I'll think about it. I'll tell you tomorrow, ok?" Sarah said, as she turned and walked down the hall towards her next class. The late bell would ring any minute, and she couldn't afford to miss anything. It was hard enough keeping up in school, especially since she usually slept through half of it.   
  
Ever since she got back from that 'place' as she called it, (since she couldn't bear to speak it's name), she had been having the most vivid dreams she had ever experienced. Visions of a castle, a maze, and a man so beautiful and terrifying that she was surprised she ever slept at all. She tried to make up for all her lost nights by trying to sleep in class, but that was becoming extremely difficult. It was beginning to be too much for her to handle, and Sarah was slowly breaking down.   
  
Everything reminded her of him. She had long since grown up, traded her fantasy world for a more mature lifestyle. Her father had died last year, and that just added to the pain. Her mother treated her like a slave in her own home, forever making her stay home with Toby while she went out. Her friends had slowly began to drift away, telling themselves they couldn't be around Sarah because she was too depressing. Her hopes and dreams of a worthwhile future were gone, instead filled with an empty despair and longing of something she could never have.   
  
Sarah cursed the day that she had said those final words, denying herself her entire world in one second of immaturity and misunderstanding. She wasn't ready for him then. She was now, but now was too late. At the time, she didn't realize how true his words were. He had done everything for her. He answered her calls, put up with her painful rudeness, and then gave her an opportunity that she did not deserve, the opportunity to retrieve what she had banished in the first place. He had every chance to destroy her before she destroyed him, but he didn't. He even endured her hatred of him, making him into the enemy, when he had done everything that was ever asked of him. She still had nightmares of the look on his face when she said her last words, a look of pain, loneliness, and betrayal. He might have loved her. Now she would never know.   
  
She was trying to move on. She had started dating, and she even had a potential date to the senior prom. But still, something was missing. She needed him with every fiber of her being, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words, to risk potential rejection. She would live, she would move on, even if it meant being unhappy for the rest of her life. And without Jareth, she knew she would be.  
  
  
  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Sarah hung up the phone, and sat in the dark silence of the room. She had just told Brandon that she would go to the prom with him, against her better judgment. She knew that it would probably be painful, but she wasn't about to sit out her senior prom just because she couldn't have the date that she really wanted. All she needed now was a dress.  
  
She had no idea what she wanted to wear. She didn't even know where to look. But she did know that prom was only a week away, so she had better start looking soon. Slipping under her covers, she decided that she would go shopping the next day after school. She was actually looking forward to it. Maybe it would get her mind off things for a while.   
  
Sarah laid in bed, dreading the dreams that she knew would await her, but exhaustion eventually won out, as she slipped into an uneasy sleep.  
  
  
  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Sarah awoke to an empty room. She glanced up to the clock. School had ended 15 minutes ago. She'd fallen asleep again. 'Oh well.' she thought. 'It's not like I really understand any of it anyways.'  
  
Sarah threw her binder into her backpack, and walked out of the classroom. She turned the corner and walked into the bathroom to brush her hair. As she was pulling her brush out of her backpack, she caught a glimpse of someone with long, blond hair in the mirror. She jumped, and dropped the brush.  
  
Sarah slowly turned around, but no one was there. She turned back and looked into the mirror, but all she could see was her own reflection. 'I'm going crazy' she thought, as she picked up the brush, ran it quickly through her hair, and stuffed it back into her bag. Then she turned and walked out the door, and out to her car.  
  
***********  
  
Sarah pulled up in front of her favorite store. It wasn't a dress store, but an antique store, one that Sarah spent hours roaming through, searching for new treasures. She had been to more than ten clothing stores, but had found nothing that had interested her. She was tired and wanted to go home, but Sarah decided to stop here on the way home and see if there was anything new.   
  
  
The bells tinkled on the door as she entered the shop. It was dark, and smelled musty, but Sarah loved it. This was the shop where she had found her copy of the Labyrinth so many years ago. She roamed over to the books, scouring the shelves for a new title. Finding nothing that caught her eye, she turned and walked towards the case with antique jewelry. She looked down into the case, studying the beautiful diamond brooches and Victorian cameos that it held. In the glass, she caught the reflection of something hanging behind the case. She looked up, and was shocked to see a dress exactly like the one that she had worn in the masque in the Underground! It was made of the purest white silk, and covered with incredible embroidery and tiny mirrors that shimmered in the light. All of a sudden, she had trouble breathing, and she was beginning to feel dizzy. Suddenly, she couldn't take it anymore. She ran out of the shop, and into her car. It had started to rain, and Sarah's tears mingled on her face with the cold raindrops.   
  
  
  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Sarah hung up the phone. She had tried to call Brandon to tell him she didn't want to go anymore, but he didn't answer. Seeing the dress at the antique store had frightened her beyond belief. 'Maybe I didn't really see it.' she thought. 'Maybe it was just my imagination playing mean tricks on me.'  
  
Sarah flopped onto her bed and sighed. Why was she so afraid? Of a dress, for that matter. It was just a coincidence, wasn't it? It couldn't be the dress that she wore. That would mean Jareth had something to do with it.....and he had long since forgotten her.   
  
'He's forgotten me-' she thought, 'and I need to forget him.'  
  
Sarah stood up, grabbed her keys, and walked out of her room.  
  
*********************  
  
"I'm not afraid..." Sarah whispered to herself, as she opened the heavy wood door to the antique shop. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment when she saw the dress, but she told herself to stay calm. If she could buy the dress, she could tell herself that Jareth no longer affected her. Buying the dress was the easy part, though. Forgetting _him_ would be hard.  
  
  
She gathered her courage, and walked towards the counter.   
  
"How much is this dress, miss?" she asked the woman behind the counter.   
  
"Oh, we just got this one yesterday. It's a beaut', isn't it?" the woman said, with a smile.   
  
"Yes....." Sarah muttered, her heart beating faster. "It's incredible." she answered. "But how much is it?" she asked.  
  
"Well....you're here a lot, so I guess I can arrange a 'preferred customer' price." she said, with a smile. "I'll give it to you for $200."  
  
'Wow, thats a lot less than I thought it would be.' Sarah thought. 'Even though I'd pay anything to get that dress.'  
  
"So, do you want it?" the lady asked, bringing Sarah out of her thoughts.  
  
"Yes, I do." Sarah replied, giving her best smile, even though her heart was crying out for her one true love.   
  
  
  
  
Chapter Five  
  
The days flew by, but the nights were endless. Sarah's dreams had become more and more intense, and she usually woke up screaming. Last night she had dreamed that she was running down the halls in her school , wearing the dress. She got to the gym, where the dance was taking place. But when she walked in, all the students had turned into goblins!   
  
The dress hanging in front of the closet over the door unnerved her, so she eventually cleared a spot for it in her closet so she didn't have to see it as much. She debated on weither or not she could return it, but by now it was too late. She'd never be able to find another dress in time, so she was stuck with it.  
  
Today was the day of the prom, so Sarah spent a long time getting ready. She soaked in her bathtub for hours trying to calm her nerves, but it wasn't working too well. Her dream hadn't helped too much, either.   
  
Brandon had called yesterday and told her that he would pick her up at 7:30. At 7, Sarah was all ready. Her makeup was done, her hair curled around her face, and she had even tied some ribbons into her hair. The only thing that she had to do was slip into her dress, and she'd be ready to go.  
  
If only she could get the nerve to open up the closet door.  
  
"Maybe I shouldn't go. Maybe thats what these dreams are trying to tell me....." she thought out loud.   
  
Suddenly, Sarah's stepmother appeared in the doorway.   
  
"What do you think you're doing?!?." her mother exclaimed. "Your date is going be here any minute, and he's not going to want to wait. And I'm certainly not driving you there! I swear Sarah, you are so insensitive sometimes! You know that I have to take care of Toby since you have to go to this silly dance. I swear, Sarah! After everything I do for you, you could at least show some common sense! Is that too much to ask?"  
  
"No, stepmother.." Sarah said, willing the tears to go away. "Good." her stepmother said, as she shut the door.  
  
Sarah took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. 'I will not let her spoil this..' Sarah told herself. She took another deep breath, and opened the closet door. She half expected something to pop out at her, but nothing happened. She grabbed the dress and slipped into it. 'I'm so paranoid.' she thought to herself. Sarah took one last look into the mirror, grabbed her purse, and walked downstairs to wait for her date.  
  
  
  
  
Chapter Six  
  
Sarah and Brandon walked into the gym, arm in arm. The room was beautifully decorated with a medieval theme, and people were dancing to the fast music. She smiled at him, even though she was still angry. Brandon failed to tell her that they would be driving three of his buddies to the dance, and she had been stuck in the back seat in the middle of two guys. Add that to her stimulating conversation with her mother earlier, and Sarah felt like she was going to cry.  
  
'I'm going to have a good time.' she told herself.  
  
They found a table, and sat down. "You wanna dance?" Brandon asked her.   
  
"Sure." she said, feigning a smile.  
  
They walked to the dace floor, and started to dance.   
  
****  
  
An hour later, Sarah was quickly becoming restless. Her feet were getting tired from dancing to the increasingly fast music, and Brandon seemed to be very pre-occupied, constantly scanning the room, as if he was looking for someone.   
  
"Brandon?" she asked, trying to get his attention. She looked at him, and saw him staring at this girl that had just come in. She was wearing the skimpiest, most disgusting dress Sarah had ever seen. This just aggravated her even more.  
  
"Brandon, are you listening to me?" she said. He still wasn't paying any attention to her, and she was becoming increasingly frustrated.  
  
"Brandon!" she yelled over the loud music. Brandon turned to look at her.  
  
"Wh..wh..what?" he said, turning to look back at the girl every few seconds. Sarah sighed.  
  
"I'm going to go to the bathroom, ok?" she said.  
  
"Ok, babe." he answered. Sarah tried to say something to him, but he was already lost in the crowd.  
  
She walked back to their table to get her purse, and then she walked to the bathroom.   
  
She had trouble seeing to open the door, she was so angry.   
  
'Oooh, he's so rude!! I can't believe him.' she said to herself, as she washed her hands.   
'I swear if he doesn't stop oogling that girl, I'm going to ask him to take me home.'  
  
Sarah finished drying off her hands, and walked out the door of the bathroom to find Brandon.  
  
'Great, now where is he?' she thought to herself. She went back to her table to put her purse down, and started to look for him.  
  
"Brandon?" she screamed over the music.   
  
She walked around the entire gym, pushing through the dancers. She was hot, tired, and aggravated, and she just wanted to sit down. She went back over to her table, and plopped down in her seat.  
  
She looked all around her, and something caught her eye. 'No, it couldn't be...' she said to herself. She got up, and walked to a table over in the corner. She saw the girl that Brandon had been staring at, making out with some guy. 'Ughh...thats so disgusting.' she thought, with a grimace  
  
She was about to turn away, when she noticed who the girl was with. "Oh my god!" she screamed. Brandon looked up, and everyone turned around to look at them. The girl in his arms smiled an evil smile.  
  
"Hi, Sarah! I was wondering where you were." Brandon said.  
  
"Wh...what's going on here?" Sarah said, her eyes misting up.  
  
"You didn't think that I really liked you, did you?" he said, going in for another kiss from the girl.  
  
"I...I...." she said, choking on the words.  
  
"Oh, you did? That's so sweet!" he said, laughing.  
  
The tears poured down Sarah's face, as she ran into the bathroom.  
  
Everyone else just turned around and kept dancing. Wasn't their problem.  
  
  
  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
Sarah ran into the bathroom and into one of the stalls. She put the seat down, sat down, and sobbed. She cried for everything that had ever happened to her, everyone that had ever let her down. Her family, her friends, Brandon. And Jareth. Always Jareth.  
  
"It isn't fair." she sobbed. "Why is my life like this? What did I do to deserve it!!!" she yelled. She threw open the door to the stall, and walked towards the mirror. Her eyes were red with tears, and the ones running down her face were leaving a dried trail in their wake.   
  
"God, it isn't fair. Why couldn't I stay? Why can't he love me?" she said, trying to dry her eyes. It was no use.  
  
'I need him so bad.' she thought, sobbing again.  
  
"Jareth...." she whispered. "I...I need you."  
  
Suddenly the lights went out, and all was quiet.  
  
  
  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
Sarah walked out of the bathroom. No one even looked at her as she walked out. The dance floor was clear, and they were all staring at the center of the gym. There were people in front of her, so she had no idea what they were looking at. 'What are they staring at?' she wondered. She pushed her way through the crowd, and stopped.  
  
He was here. Right here, right now.   
  
He was beautiful. His blond hair gleamed in the light, and he was wearing the same outfit that he had been wearing in her dream in the Underground. He had no gloves on, so Sarah was able to see his beautiful hands for the first time. She stood still. She could hear nothing but her heartbeat ringing through ears.  
  
Suddenly, he saw her. He walked towards her, took her hand, and led her to the center of the dance floor.   
  
She stared into his eyes. They were mesmerizing, just like she had remembered.  
  
She started to speak, but he put a gentle finger to her lips.   
  
They started to dance. He waved his hand, and music started playing. He started to sing.  
  
  
"There's such a sad love  
Deep in your eyes  
A kind of pale jewel   
Open and closed within your eyes  
I'll place the skies  
Within your eyes."  
  
  
They kept dancing, holding on to each other tightly. Sarah knew everyone was staring at her, but she didn't care.  
  
  
"There's such a fooled heart, beating so fast  
In search of new dreams  
A love that would last within your heart  
I'll place the moon  
Within your heart."  
  
  
"As the pain sweeps through  
Makes no sense for you  
Every thrill is gone  
Wasn't too much fun at all  
But I'll be there for you  
As the world falls down."  
  
  
All of a sudden, Jareth stopped. He looked into Sarah's eyes.   
  
"I love you." he said, with a smile on his face.  
  
Sarah was about to cry, she was so happy. She jumped into his arms in happiness.   
  
"Oh, I love you." she said, her face pressed into his chest. "I just wish you had come sooner.." she said.  
  
Jareth gently took her face into his hands. "So do I, love." he said. "But I couldn't come until you called."  
  
"What?!?" she said, startled. "You mean, you were waiting for me all this time, and I could have just called you and you would have came?" she exclaimed.  
  
"Yes, of corse." he said. "But Sarah, I'm her now, aren't I?" he said, calming her by just the sound of his soothing voice.  
  
"Jareth, I'm so sorry that I didn't listen to you two years ago...I-"   
  
"Shhh.." he said, cutting her off. "It was me, too. Why don't we just forget about it, and we'll forgive each other later."  
  
"Of corse, Jareth." she said with a smile.  
  
They started to dance again.  
  
  
"I'll paint you mornings of gold  
I'll spin you valentine evenings  
Though we're strangers till now  
We're choosing our lives between the stars  
I'll place my love  
Between the stars."  
  
"Jareth?" Sarah whispered, looking into his eyes again.  
  
"Yes?" he answered.  
  
"Take me home with you." she said, with a sexy smile.  
  
"Anything the lady wishes..." he said.  
  
"As the pain sweeps through  
Makes no sense for you  
Every thrill is gone  
Wasn't too much fun at all  
But I'll be there for you  
As the world falls down."  
They kept dancing, staring into each others eyes, until they disappeared into a circle of bright light.  
  
The End! Wasn't that so  beautiful!! :)   
  
Copywrite: CrystalAngel 2000-SlayerAngel@aol.com   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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